Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dubai and Arnhem

For one person, living is cheaper in Arnhem: $2,578 a month against $2,854 in Dubai, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

139

Cost of Living Index in Dubai
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Dubai Living Index
125

Cost of Living Index in Arnhem
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Arnhem Living Index

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Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,854

/mo nomad

Arnhem

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,578

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dubai and in Arnhem

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Dubai and in Arnhem actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,854 in Dubai versus $2,578 in Arnhem.

Dubai $2,854
Arnhem $2,578

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,321 in Dubai versus $3,771 in Arnhem.

Dubai $4,321
Arnhem $3,771

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,788 in Dubai versus $4,963 in Arnhem.

Dubai $5,788
Arnhem $4,963

Living in Dubai is roughly 11% more expensive than in Arnhem, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Dubai 113% above, Arnhem 92% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.04 AED 47.89

$22.70 €20.26

-42.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.4 AED 299

$87.4 €78.0

-6.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.32 AED 34.25

$13.44 €11.99

-30.65%

Cappuccino

$5.97 AED 21.93

$4.16 €3.71

43.51%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.63 AED 5.98

$3.29 €2.93

-50.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.81 AED 2.99

$2.85 €2.54

-71.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.65 AED 50.1

$5.65 €5.04

141.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$13.38 AED 49.15

$5.74 €5.12

133.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.81 AED 6.64

$1.43 €1.27

26.57%

White Bread (500g)

$1.57 AED 5.78

$2.07 €1.85

-24.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 AED 9.16

$2.33 €2.08

6.87%

Eggs

$3.28 AED 12.04

$5.39 €4.81

-39.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.67 AED 46.53

$12.96 €11.57

-2.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.75 AED 35.80

$14.57 €13.01

-33.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.18 AED 48.40

$15.70 €14.01

-16.05%

Apples (1kg)

$2.61 AED 9.57

$2.74 €2.44

-4.74%

Banana (1kg)

$1.93 AED 7.09

$2.51 €2.24

-23.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.92 AED 7.05

$1.83 €1.64

4.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.36 AED 5.00

$5.56 €4.96

-75.54%

Potato (1kg)

$1.17 AED 4.29

$1.89 €1.68

-38.10%

Onion (1kg)

$1.01 AED 3.71

$2.36 €2.11

-57.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.51 AED 5.56

$1.28 €1.14

17.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.62 AED 2.29

$0.72 €0.64

-13.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.85 AED 21.50

$14.29 €12.75

-59.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.14 AED 59.3

$7.01 €6.26

130.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.65 AED 9.74

$1.45 €1.30

82.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.95 AED 10.82

$2.65 €2.37

11.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.64 AED 6.03

$4.50 €4.02

-63.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.6 AED 270

$110 €98.5

-33.32%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.17 AED 11.66

$4.05 €3.62

-21.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.71 AED 2.63

$2.38 €2.12

-70.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.96 AED 29.23

$33.37 €29.78

-76.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 AED 3.64

$2.49 €2.22

-60.24%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$27.4K AED 100.5K

$40.7K €36.3K

-32.77%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$22.5K AED 82.8K

$38.8K €34.7K

-41.97%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$250 AED 920

$283 €253

-11.61%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$54.2 AED 199

$23.28 €20.78

132.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$91.8 AED 337

$42.42 €37.86

116.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$98.6 AED 362

$41.76 €37.27

136.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$42.61 AED 156

$11.05 €9.86

285.61%

Cinema Ticket

$16.03 AED 58.9

$14.48 €12.92

10.70%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$843 AED 3,098

$1,233 €1,100

-31.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.3K AED 67.1K

$5,877 €5,245

210.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.0 AED 250

$97.6 €87.1

-30.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.9 AED 213

$29.21 €26.06

98.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 AED 370

$105 €93.7

-4.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 AED 371

$154 €138

-34.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,380 AED 8,741

$1,431 €1,277

66.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,506 AED 5,531

$1,181 €1,054

27.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,437 AED 16.3K

$2,217 €1,979

100.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,010 AED 11.1K

$1,793 €1,600

67.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,121 AED 26.2K

$5,196 €4,637

37.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,135 AED 15.2K

$4,230 €3,775

-2.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,391 AED 12.5K

$3,648 €3,255

-7.05%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.54

3.95

14.94%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Dubai: October 5, 2026

Last update for Arnhem: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Dubai

$1.5K 52.5%

Arnhem

$1.2K 45.5% 21.6% $325

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dubai

$396 13.8%

Arnhem

$349 13.5% 12% $47

Eating Out

Dubai

$309 10.8%

Arnhem

$336 13% 8.9% $27

Groceries & Markets

Dubai

$293 10.2%

Arnhem

$339 13.1% 15.9% $47

Clothing & Footwear

Dubai

$147 5.1%

Arnhem

$174 6.7% 17.9% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Dubai

$131 4.6%

Arnhem

$71 2.7% 45.9% $60

Getting Around

Dubai

$87 3%

Arnhem

$144 5.6% 66% $57

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,380 in Dubai and $1,431 in Arnhem. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Arnhem pays 8% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $81.0 in Dubai vs $87.0 in Arnhem for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $293 vs $339 per month, with Dubai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇪 Dubai

🇳🇱 Arnhem

🕒 Local time

10:19 10:19 AM

08:19 8:19 AM

2 h behind Dubai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,790,000

165,770

💱 Currency

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.243 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to AED – UAE Dirham Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇪 UAE Dirham (د.إ)

UAE Dirham exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3.67 AED (1 AED = 0.272 USD). 1 EUR = 4.12 AED (1 AED = 0.243 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to AED in detail →

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Between locations

Dubai Arnhem 5,090 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Dubai
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Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Dubai vs Arnhem: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dubai and Arnhem differ by about 11% in total monthly costs ($2,854 vs $2,578 including rent). Arnhem is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 8% lower in Arnhem. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $2,380 in Dubai versus $1,431 in Arnhem. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Dubai pay roughly 16% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Dining out is cheaper in Arnhem – a meal for two runs $87.0 versus $81.0 in Dubai. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $2,578 in Arnhem versus $2,854 in Dubai, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Arnhem but tight or insufficient in Dubai. The gap between the two cities makes Arnhem the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Dubai and Arnhem are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Arnhem gentler on the wallet – expenses run 11% less than in Dubai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.